Apparatus for extracting rosin and turpentine from wood



June 22 1926.

MCGARVEY CLINE APPARATUS FOR- EXTRACTING ROSIN AND TURPENTINE FROM WOOD Filed August 25, 1922 3 SheetsSheet 1 A TTOHNEYS June 22 Y, 1926.

MCGARVEY CLINE APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING ROSIN AND TURPENTINE FROM WOOD M T N J, 2 .EE V w WM e a C Y s E t el v V R s m 5 M 2 2 9 1l- 7 .t S u g u A d e l .1 F

W/ T/VESSES /1 TTOR/VEVS June 22 1926.

MCGARVEY CLINE APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING ROSIN AND TURPENTINE FROM WOOD Filed August 25, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Illl |||||||||||||||| ||||1|||IIU A TTUR/VEYS Patented .lune 22, 1926i.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MCGARVEY CLINE, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

Application led August 25, 1922. Serial No. 584,261.

This invention relates to an apparatus for extracting turpentine and resinous contents Yfrom sawdust and finely divided Conifer woods which are more or less rich in these substances. In many large sawmills and lumber yards, particularly those of the South, where pine and other Conifer woods are cut and sawed into lumber it is a common practice to use the waste in the form of sawdust, chips, and the like, as fuel to in part furnish the power for the mill. This fuel is rich in turpentine. and resin, both of which are more valuable as Commercial products than as fuel; and of late years methods of recovering these substances from the waste have been proposed and to some extent practiced; and the general object and aifn of the present. invention is to provide an improved and eflicient process of and apparatus for treating this waste for the extraction of the resinous content therefrom, prior to its final consumption as fuel.

More specific objects of the invention are, io provide an apparatus wherein the substances to be recovered from the waste wood may be more thoroughly and completely eX- tl'actcd therefrom than has heretofore been possible; to provide such an apparatus which shall be continuous in its operation and may well constitute a link of a conveyor by which the waste is transmitted from the mill to the boiler house without involving manual handlingl ot' the same en route; to provide an apparatus wherein the resinous content may be extracted with a minimum wetting and soaking of the material which, of course, ten/.ls to lessen its fuel value; to provide an apparatuswherein the turpentine may be volatilized from the material mainly through the agency of dry heat, and wherein the volatlizcd product may be absorbed and carried to a condenser through the agency of low pressure steam; and to provide an apparatus wherein the stock shall be preheated by direct contact with steam betere it is admitted to the distilling retort, for the double purpose of reducingy the distilling heat required within the retort and preventing condensation of the distillate ihrough contact with cold material entering the retort.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to persons familiar with distilling processes and devices of this general character from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated one practical and workable embodiment of the invention, and in which- Fig. l is a view in elevation of a battery for extracting resinous matter from finely divided particles of wood;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in Vertical section of a single unit for extracting turpentine and pine oil from finely divided particles of wood;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of one of the horizontal het plate partitions or division plates of the sectional retort or drum shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a central vertical section taken en the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the hubs of the retort and its attached spreader and scraper blades;

Fig. 6 is a central vertical section of a modified form 0f a hot plate or division plate shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the rotary feed valve; and

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the rotary feed valve showing the diagonally disposed opening in the top of the valve casing.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a base member preferably cylindrical in form and constituting a support for a series of superposed cylinder sections each designated as an entirety by 2, said several sections unitcdly constituting a steam drum 3. In the top et the base member 1 is mounted a concaved or dished plate 5 which constitutes the bottom end wall or cover of the steam drum 3; and above the concave end wall 5 is a liat circular hot plate l5, of' which there is also one provided for each of the several Cylindrical sections 2, as hereinafter more particularly described.

The concave bottom 5 or" the ret-ort is centrally apertured to admit a vertical drive shaft 7 provided with a stuffing box 8 and mounted at its lower end in a step bearing 9.

Describing now in detail the sections i2 of the drum, which are best shown in Figs.

.and vfor elrhausting the elle the ope 3 and 4, each of these comprises a cylinder section 10 having at its uper end a ring riveted or Welded to its outer Wall. T his ring comprises a horizontally extending flange 11 and an upwardly and outwardly extending flange 12 extending above the upper edge of the section 10. To the inner Wall of the section 10 at its upper end is riveted or Welded an internal angle ring comprising a vertically extending flange 13 spaced from the flange 12 of the outer rmg and an inwardly extending horizontal flange 14, upon which is mounted a. hot plate 1I) formed with a central opening 16 and a radial opening 17 having its inner end adjacent to the opening 16 of reduced W1dtli, as shown at 18 in Fig. 3.

The metal surrounding the opening 16 1S turned downwardly at 1Q and lies between and in 'tangential Contact with a pair oi? angle iron beams 20 and which entend transversely across the bottom ot the plate 15 and are attached their ends to the inner wall of the cylinder section The metal surroundinf the opening is also bent downwardly to toire dependinr ifanges, the parallel portions .o't Wliicl in in contact with the beams 2U and 21, Wherebv the p` e is loclred against rectly beneath pipe 'line close p iicien' -y aralie n et t r flint-rl Muto each side coils. is shown il ually lower levels, so that any Water condensed in the coils 7will he readily drained oit through the pipes 2&1 and 25.. I

The several sections 2 ot the drum are superposed upon each other, the lower edge oi each section 1G being seated in the annular groove formed between the upstanding flanges 12 and 13 ot' the next underlying section and suitably calked therein, and the sections are bonded together by tie bolts 26 connecting their respective external flanges 11. All of the steam inlets 23 are. of course, connected to a single supply pipe which leads from a source of steam under pressure. The exhaust conduits 24 and 25 are likewise connected to a common conduit for drainingr condensed steam away from the drum, this latter conduit preferably being connected into any Well-known form of steam trap. Rotatably mounted Within the opening 16 of the plate 15 are a series of superposed hub sections designated generally by 27 interconnected as hereinafter described to be driven in unison and constituting the driven for spreader and scraper arms by which the material treated is spread or tumbled and caused to travel over the hot plate of each of the Several heating chambers or compartments of the retort. Referring to Fig. 5, radiating from the hub 27 are two series (upper and lower) of ribs or fins 29 having radial sockets, the upper of which receive the depending flanges 30 of spreader' arms 31, While the lower receive the upstanding flanges of scraper arms 31"; both series of arms being secured in the sockets by rivets or bolts 3 Upon the upper face of the hub 27 are formed four pairs of spaced ears 33 ninety degrees apart; and upon the bottom face ot the hub are formed a corresponding series et depending lugs adapted to received between the ears 33 of the several snee pairs for locking the hubs together, central openings or bres ot almenientn l" I i openings tigl disposed pipe ase member discharge hop n The plates so located u c drum 3 open s 1'? o cessive platee are omet erreur; axis of the drum; the opening in t e i plate being just to one side of the feed opening hereinafter described, and the opening the bottom plate being directly over the discharge hopper G6, so that steam entering at the bottom of the retort is caused to taire a spiral course upwardly through the drum since it has to travel through these openings to reach the upper end of the drum.

The centrally disposed steam pipe 35 come municates at its lower end with radial openings 39 formed through the hub of the flange 28, these openings communicating with the lowermost steam compartment of the drum.

The top of the drum is closed by a cover 4:0 which is provided adjacent to its periphery with a feed opening 41 surrounded by a neck 42. This latter is connected by an elbow 42 to a tapered conduit 43 vwhich is offset from th'e center of the cover 40 in order to provide space for a steam pipe 44 that is connected at one end by a swivel joint 45 to the centrally disposed steam supply pipe 35 and at its other end to a conveyor tube or cylinder 46. This latter 1s connected to and continuous with the conduit 43 and isv equipped with a screw conveyor 47 having a hollow sha'ft 48 that is perforated at intervals along its length to admit steam entering through said hollow shaft into the conveyor cylinder 46. rlhe outer end of the screw shaft 48 is connected by a suitably packed swivel joint (not shown) to a steam supply pipe connected with a source of steam under pressure. rlhe screw 47 may be driven from a vertical shaft 53 through co-operating initer gears 52 and 5l; the ratio ot the gearing being such as to rotate the shaft 48 at a predetermined speed in order to properly feed finely divided wood through the conduit 43, elbow 42, neck 42 and opening 4l into the top section of the drum 3. rllhe conveyor cylinder 46 forms a preheating chamber 'for the chips o'l" wood before the latter is delivered to the retort or drum 3.

lin order to seal the preheating chamber 46 from the atmosphere l have provided thereon a rotary valve designated as an entirety by in Fig. 2, and the details ot which are best shown in lFigs. 7 and 8.

` 'llhis valve comprises a casing 56 which is attached by a base flange 57a to a tlanged opening 57b located in the top and at one end of the preheating chamber 46. The valve proper comprises a hub 57 having webs 53 radiating trom the hub 57 and forming pockets 59 which are adapted to be illed with chips of wood from a hopper (not shown) mounted on the upper ianged opening 60 of the valve casing 56. Formed integral with the ends of the hub 57 and the blades or webs 53 are annular dises 6l and 62, the discs 6l being ot larger diameter than the discs 62 so that the valve is in the shape of the frustum of a cone with one end ot the blades or webs ot greater width than the opposite end. The end discs 61 and 62 are formed with annular ianges 63 which provide bearings 'for the rotary valve in the tapered wall of the valve casing 56. A shatt 64 is connected with the hub 57 to drive the valve at a suitable speed for delivering proper quantities ot wood to the preheating chamber 46.

As shown in Fig; 3, the langed feed opening 60 at the top of the valve casing is in the shape of a rhomboid, its longer sides being oblique or inclined to a median plane extending longitudinally through the center ot the valve casing, or, in other words, the longitudinal side of the opening is disposed at an angle to the outer edge of the valve blade instead of being parallel with said blade, whereby the longitudinal edge of the opening, oo-operating with the blade, provides'a cutting means for chips of wood that tend to clog the valve as the blades of the valve rotate within the casing.

Vere it not for the annular disposition of the longitudinal side edges of the opening, chips of wood would jam between the blades and the opening instead of being shear-ed b the same, and would thus injure the cornbined valve and iteeder.

In the concave bottom 5 of the retort is formed an opening 65 embraced by a discharge hopper 66 which leads into the upper side oit a discharge conveyor tube 67. ln this latter a screw conveyor 63 is mounted tor rotation on a shaft 69 that extends through a suitable studing box in one side ot the base l ot the retort. yThe screw 63 'forces all the chips o' wood exhausted through the opening 65 outwardly through a discharge pipe 70, whence the chips may be delivered by a conveyor to a second retort in which the rosin is extracted by a suitable solvent, as hereinafter described.

As shown in Fig. 2, the conduit 43 is slightly tapered and narrowed in the direc tion of travel of the material toward the retort, so that the chips ot wood or sawdust forced through the preheating chamber 46 and into the retort will choke the conduit 42 42 and 43 suiiciently to prevent the steam trom the retort escaping into the preheating chamber 46, while at the same time the finely divided particles of wood crowding in the tapered conduit 42 tend to prevent the steam from the preheating chamber dou/ing into the top ot' the retort with the wood and cause it to tlow for the most part through the conduits 44 and 35 into the bottom of the retort.

A pipe 7l connected with the neck 42 leads to a condenser 72 for condensing the steam carrying the distilled turpentine and pine oil. A valve 73 controls the rate of discharge through the pipe 7l.

Describing more in detail the functions of the two sets of spreader and scraper arms previously described, the upper series of arms or blades 31, which l term spreader arms serve to distribute the finely divided particles of wood on and over the hot plates l5 and are adapted to prevent the wood from piling up at one place which would be adjacent the opening 17 where the wood l'alls from one plate onto the next lower plate. rllhe arms or blades 31a which l term scraper blades, are adapted to maintain the nely divided particles of wood in a constant state ot agitation in order that the steam may come into surface contact with all particles of the wood and thoroughly saturate the same, and these arms also serve to advance the wood over the plates and force it to drop through the radial openings 17 so that the wood will be caused to travel entirely around the axis of each chamber of the retort from top to bottom of the latter.

Referring to Fig. l, I have therein shown a battery which comprises an initial retort 3 embodying the structure thus far described, and in which the chips otl Wood are maintained in a constant iiow through the retort and heated both indirectly through the coils and hot plates and directly by the steam admitted through the pipe 38 and central conduit 35. To the discharge end of the retort 3, consisting as herein shown of the discharge section TU, is connected a vertical conveyor 74 which receives the partially distilled chips and carries them to a second retort 75 which is lilled with some form of solvent for extracting the rosin from the chips which have been discharged from the retort 3. A second vertical conveyor 76 is,

connected to the discharge end 77 of the retort 75 for carrying the chips, which have been saturated with the solvent, 'to a third retort 78 in which live steam is admitted at for removing the solvent from the chips. A condenser 79 is connected to the top of the retort 78 whereby the steam and solvent are condensed.

A pipe 80 is connected to the lower end of the retort 75 for draining olia the rosinsaturated solvent, which is then treated for the iemoval and recovery of `the rosin.

In Fig. 6 l have illustrated a modified form of a section of the drum and integrally formed hot plate. The section comprises two parallel circular plates 82 and 83 connected by a central short collar 84 which affords a central opening to receive the vertical steam conduit 35. Radial passages 17, like that shownv in Fig. 3, are likewise formed in these plates with an annular flange bordering the openings and connecting the same together to form an internal narrow steam chamber 85. ln a cylindrical ring 86 integral with the outer edges of the plates 82 and 83 is formed a circular steam chamber 87 communicating with the horizontal flat steam chamber 85. An inlet steam pipe 24 and drain pipe 25 are connected respectively with the upper and lower ends of the annular steam chamber 87. An integral annular lange l2 spaced from and cooperating with the upper end 88 of the annular ring 86 forms an annular socket 89a to receive and tit the lower end 89 of the next supcrposed annular ring 86. 'Flanges ll, similar to those shown in Fig. 4, extending around the outer side or the ring 86 provide a means whereby the several sections may be connected together by the tie bolts 26 to form the complete retort as above described.

Briefly describing the driving mechanism shown in Fig. 2, on the lower feed shaft 69 is mounted a bevel gear 91 meshing with and driving a bevel gear 92 on the lower end of the vertical shaft 53, whereby the upper feed conveyor is driven through the gears 52 and 51. The valve shaft 64 may be driven from the bevel gear 51 by a bevel gear 93, vertical shaft 94 and meshing bevel gears 95 and 96.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is substantially as follows. Finely divided particles ot wood, such as shavings, sawdust, chips and wood shredded in a hogging machine are fed into a hopper mounted on top of the valve casing 56. Power having shaft 69, the feed valve 55 is started in operation and from the pockets thereof the wood drops into the preheating chamber 46 through which it is carried by the screw 47. At the same time steam is admitted to the bottom ot' the retort through pipe 38, and also to the hollow shaft 48 and flows through the perforations thereof into the body of wood tilling the heating chamber 46, preheating said body of wood and absorbing the more volatile vapors from the latter, and flowing thence through the pipes 44 and 35 into the bottoni of the retort, where it commingles with the steam admitted through pipe 38. As the linely divided particles of wood leave the preheating chamber 46 in a heated condition they are crowded by the screw conveyor 47 into and through the narrow end otl the tabe 43, lilling and choking this tube to such an extent as to maintain a constant seal against the escape of vapor-laden steam from the retort 3.

lirom-the tube 43 the wood passes through conduits 42 and 42 and opening 47 into the top of the retort, falling onto the topmost hot plate in the latter. By the spreader and scraper arms 3l and 3l*1L the `wood is carried around the hot plate and evenly distributed thereovcr until it is pushed over the opening 17, whence it falls onto the next underlying hot plate and is carried around and spread over the latter in the same manner. wood is passed from the top to the bottom of the retort being temporarily arrested in and caused to travel around each of the successive heating chambers. From the lowermost heating plate the wood is dropped through the discharge hopper 66 into the lower delivery chamber 67, whence it is discharged by the screw 68 into and through the discharge pipe 70.

Prior to the admission of the material to be treated, live steam is turned on through the pipes 23 to the several heating coils of the hot plates, whereby the latter are heated to a temperature sullicient to effect the volatilizing of the turpentine contained been applied to the drivey ln this manner the tion, a plurality of pairs of spaced ns radiating from an upper end of each hub a plurality of pairs ot spaced fins radiating Afrom the lower end of each hub, Spreader blades secured between upper pairs of lins, scraper blades secured between lower pairs of fins, means for rotating the hubs and blades with the spreader blades sweeping over the openings in the plates lying thereabove and-the scraper blades sweeping over the openings in the plates therebelovv, means for discharging the wood from the retort, and means for conducting the resinons-laden steam from the retort.

5. In a device for extracting the resinons content from finely divided wood, the combination of a retort, a preheating chamber connected with the retort, a feed device in said prebeating chamber, means for admitting steam into the presence of the Wood in said preheating chamber, means for conducting steam from said preheating chamber directly into the bottom of the retort, means tor admitting a separate supply of steam to the bottom of the retort, a supply valve serving to charge the preheating chamber with wood and also prevent the escape of steam from said preheating chamber, means for continuously discharging the Wood from the retort, and means for conducting the resinous-laden steam from the retort.

6. In a device for extracting the resinous content from finely divided Wood, the combination of a retort, means for charging the retort with iinely divided Wood, means for supplying the charging means with steam for preheating the wood, a valve casing connected with the charging means, a valve in the casing adapted to prevent the escape ot steam from saidicharging means, said valve comprising a hub., annular discs mounted at opposite ends on the hub and engaged with bearings in said casing, webs radiating from the hub and joined at their opposite ends to said annular discs to form il-shaped pockets for receiving wood, rsaid valve casing being provided with an opening in its top in the shape of a rhomboid for admitting wood to the pockets in the valve with the longitudinal edges of said opening in- @lined to the longitudinal edges of the Webs whereby the peripheral edge of each Web of the valve is moved progressively into engagement with the longitudinal edge of said opening, and means for rotating said valve.

MCGARVEY CLliNE. 

